Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"No, we need to talk at the neighborhood committee office!"

As soon as Chen Xiangui spoke, there was a moment of silence at the entrance of the courtyard. Tian Chulian gave Wang Fuquan a wink, and Wang Fuquan understood and nodded hurriedly, "Alright, alright, let's go to the street office to talk. It's spacious and cool there. Brother Xiangui, Lianxiang, let's go over there first. We can talk about everything there."

Chen Lianxiang didn't move, but turned her face to the side. Lin Qingsheng gently put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "I'll go with you."

Chen Xiangui hummed in agreement. Huang Lanzhi wanted to continue her tirade, but Chen Xiangui silenced her with a look. Chen Dong turned his back and waved to Wang Xuewen, who was standing beside him like a doorman, indicating that everything was alright. Wang Xuewen then took a half step back, but remained by Chen Dong's side.

Zhang Yi then carried Xiao Huiyi out of the small building, followed by Liu Shaoling, Liu Shaozhong, and Liu Shaoqun. When the three children saw their father, Liu Guomin, they became somewhat flustered, wanting to come over but also feeling a little timid.

Chen Dong walked over to Zhang Yi and said, "Honey, you take Jimmy and Shaoling inside first. After they have breakfast, take them to school. We'll take care of things here, it's fine."

Zhang Yi nodded, while her daughter, Huiyi, reached out to Chen Dong, calling for a hug. Chen Dong didn't hug his daughter, but instead gently pinched the little one's chubby cheeks and whispered to her, "Sarah, you have to listen to Mommy, okay? Be a good girl and go with Mommy to take your older brothers and sisters to school later, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm! I understand," Xiao Huiyi's pronunciation wasn't quite accurate, but she still understood Chen Dong's meaning. She nodded vigorously, hugged her mother Zhang Yi's neck tightly, which made Zhang Yi laugh. She lightly patted Xiao Huiyi's chubby little bottom, "You listen to your daddy, but you only listen to what Mommy says. You're just here to annoy Mommy, aren't you, you little piggy!"

"Sarah doesn't smell bad, but her brother does!"

When his sister said that, Ronghui immediately leaned over, held Huiyi's little feet in his hands, and smelled them. Then he pinched his nose, waved his hands vigorously to fan the air, and deliberately shouted, "Little piggy sister smells so bad!"

"Sarah doesn't smell bad, but her brother does!"

"Little Piggy smells awful!"

"My brother smells bad!"

Chen Dong watched with a smile as his wife and daughters entered the old house. He then turned and followed Chen Xiangui and his group toward the Lianzhai Subdistrict Office. Liu Guomin slowed his pace and followed behind Chen Lianxiang. He saw Lin Qingsheng in front of him with his arm around Chen Lianxiang's shoulder, whispering something to her. The two looked very sweet and happy, which annoyed Liu Guomin.

The meeting room of Lianzhai Subdistrict Office was not large. The air was filled with the musty smell of old newspapers and the rusty smell of metal cabinets. Chen Dong and the others covered their noses and frowned as they walked in. Tian Chulian probably smelled the odor himself, so he turned the ceiling fan to the highest setting and opened all the windows to disperse the unpleasant smell a little.

Chen Dong sat down next to his uncle Chen Xiangui, while Lin Qingsheng sat next to Chen Lianxiang. The two held hands tightly. Wang Fuquan pulled Fang Songmao to sit down and then winked at Liu Guomin and Liu Guoliang, signaling them to come in quickly and not huddle at the door.

"Sit down, everyone," Tian Chulian cleared his throat. "Let's talk things out today."

When Tian Chulian said this, he glanced at Liu Guomin and said, "Guomin, you go first."

Liu Guomin glanced at his brother-in-law Fang Songmao, and seeing that Chen Dong and Chen Xiangui were all staring at him, he mustered his courage and said, "I agree to Lianxiang's remarriage..."

"Stop right there," Chen Xiangui tapped his fingers on the table, glaring at Liu Guomin as he asked, "Liu Guomin, does my daughter Lianxiang need your permission to remarry? Who do you think you are!"

Fang Songmao knew that his brother-in-law was not good with words, but he did not expect him to offend someone with his first words. He quickly tried to make amends, saying, "Uncle Xiangui, my brother-in-law did not mean that. He meant that it is none of his business whether Lianxiang remarries or not, since the two are already divorced."

"He meant that even if Lianxiang remarries, my brother-in-law is still Shaozhong and Shaoqun's biological father. The children are going to America, so logically, they should inform my brother-in-law first," Fang Songmao said with a smile. "Uncle Xiangui, I know you are always a reasonable person, and everyone in the surrounding area knows that. You tell me yourself, should you tell my brother-in-law first?"

Chen Lianxiang was about to stand up and curse in anger. She was going to marry Lin Qingsheng and planned to live in America for a short time after the marriage, but only during the three children's winter and summer vacations. How did it become that she planned to immigrate with the children and never come back in Liu Guomin and Fang Songmao's mouth?

Lin Qingsheng gently squeezed Chen Lianxiang's soft hand to reassure her and signal her to calm down. Chen Xiangui frowned and asked, "Are you so sure that Lianxiang will immigrate to America after the marriage?"

"Uncle Xiangui, even those without the means are trying to go abroad, let alone your new son-in-law, Mr. Lin. He's from America, and he'll definitely take Lianxiang there after the wedding," Fang Songmao said with absolute certainty. "There's no need to say more!"

"Is that so?" Chen Dong sneered. "So how do you plan to resolve this? Are you going to get the three children back?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lianxiang's expression tightened, but Huang Lanzhi spoke first, "Don't even think about it, Liu Guomin. You signed and put your fingerprint on the document and took five thousand yuan from our family. From the day you took that five thousand yuan, you have no right to use the child to disrupt Lianxiang's life."

Upon hearing the offer of five thousand yuan, Liu Guomin's face flushed red. He stammered, "I took it, but... if the child goes abroad and never comes back, I..."

Seeing that his elder brother was so timid that he couldn't even finish his sentence, Liu Guoliang simply took over the conversation, saying, "Chen Lianxiang's decision to take her three children abroad is unacceptable. If the children go abroad and never come back, who will take care of my elder brother when he gets old and sees him off in his final days!"

Seeing that his brother-in-law had already brought up the topic, Fang Songmao decided to stop pretending. "Yes, my brother-in-law is, after all, the biological father of the three children. Blood is thicker than water. As the old saying goes, raising children is for old age security. If you want to take my brother-in-law's children abroad, you should at least give me an explanation."

Tian Chulian shook his head and looked at Wang Fuquan, thinking to himself that they had indeed come to ask for money. Wang Fuquan's expression turned serious. Of course, he knew that Liu Guomin and his group had come to ask for money, but he could still help the Chen family by offering more or less money in order to gain their favor.

"Liu Guomin, you are truly shameless. In your eyes, these three children are just tools you use to blackmail me, right?" Chen Lianxiang was completely enraged.

"Sister, don't be anxious," Chen Dong said, calming Chen Lianxiang down. He then turned to Liu Guomin and asked, "Liu Guomin, what kind of explanation do you want?"

Liu Guomin did not answer, but Liu Guoliang shouted, "My eldest brother can agree to send his three children abroad, but you must guarantee that someone will take care of him in his old age!"

"I'm his younger brother. When he gets old, I'll feed him. As a way of supporting their father in his old age, you have to compensate me one million!"